Mail catching and delivering apparatus.



. c. E. HARRELL.

OATOHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

A ABPIIUATION IILED AUG. 14,1908

Patnted Apr. 20, 1909.

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, G. E. HARREIJL. MAIL GATGHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPIJOATIOH FILED AUG. 14,1908. Patented Apr.

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orru sans =A'rsir i CHARLES E. HARRELL, OF MONTGOMERY CITY, MISSOURI.

MAIL OATCHING- AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed August 14, 1908. Serial No. 448,568.

T 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. HARRELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montgomery City, in the county of Montgomery and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Mail Catching and Deliverto the mail car and which will operate to:

securely hold one or more mail pouches or sacks until the point of delivery is reached.

A further object is to provide means, cooperating with a stationary tripping device, whereby the supported pouches will be I positively delivered to a crane arranged beside the track. 7 j

A further object is to provide simple means whereby the pouch-carrying device upon the car is permitted to give or yield under the impact to which it is subjected during the interchange of mail.

A further object is to provide mechanism whereby the release of the pouches from the mechanism upon the car is prevented unless the pouches are in position to be positively engaged and supported by the crane. Y

A further object is to provide a crane which can be readily adjusted to difierent heights and which includes a tripping member and aholding member, said holding member being so shaped and positioned as to hold a pouchcarrying ring in position to be positively engaged by the mechanism on the car.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter. more .fully. described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the pre-' ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through that portion of the mechanism carried by the car, a portion of the tripping arm beingshown in position prior to entering the pouch-ring carried by the mechanism. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the pouch-ring, tripping-plate,

and the adjoining portion of the arm: carried:

by the car. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the arts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail side e evation of the inner end of the catcher arm showing the manner of connecting the same with the body of the car.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A designates a small car and to one side of the door a thereof is hinged an arm 1, preferably in the form of an elongated flat strip designed to swing in to the door or to swing outwardly into position at right angles to the side of the car. This arm 1 has an eye 2 extending from one face thereof and designed to be detachably engaged by a hook 3 formed at one end of a rod 4. This rod is slidably mounted within a tubular member 5 connected by means of an eye 6 with an eye or staple 7 arranged upon the other side of the door. A spring 8 connects the adjoining portions of the rod 4 and tubular member 5 and is secured at its ends to collars 9 and 10 secured to the rod 4 and the member5 respectively- It will be a parent therefore: t at when the rod 3 is pul ed longitudinally from the member 5 the spring 8 will be compressed and when the rod 4 is released said spring will operate to return it to normal position relative to the member 5.

Projecting from one face of the arm 1 and preferably close to the upper edge thereof is an car 11 extending between spaced cars 12. A pivot pin 13 extends transversely through the ears 11 and 12. The cars 12 extend from the margin of a tripping plate 14, which, as shown in the drawings, is preferably crescentshaped. This tripping -plate has spaced prongs 15 extending from one face thereof and 7 said prongs are preferably slightly curved from end to end as shown Fig. 2,

and, when the plate 14 is in its normal or vertical position, the ends of these prongs are removably seated within openings 16 formed in the arm 1 close to the lower edge thereof. These prongs are preferably detachably connected to the tripping-plate, each prong being provided with a screwthreade stem 17 extending through the plate and engaged by a nut or other device for holding it in place. Springs 18 are preferably connected to the upper portion of the arm 1 and the free ends of the .springs extend over the arm 1 and bear'upon the. upper portions of the cars 12. These ears .are preferably formed with flat faces disposed at anglesto each other so that the s rings will cooperate therewith to hold the p ate- 14 either in vertical or horizontal position. When the plate is swung out of vertical osition but not far enough to assume a liorizontal position, these springs will operate to return the plate to its vertical position. The springs also, obviously, prevent the plate 14 from swinging back and forth relative to the arm 1.

Aplate 19 is secured to that face of the arm 1 op osite the ear 11 and extending upward y from the lower portion of this plate is an arm 20. This arm 20 has an elongated.

ranged upon one end of this top bar is a knob 29 preferably formed of rubber, while extending from the other end of the top bar is a fork 30. This top bar is arranged parallel with the track and can obviously be adjusted to any desired elevation simply by sliding the extension post 27 within the standard 23 and then looking said post by means of the pin 26.

V lhen it is desired to use the apparatus herein described one or more pouches or sacks B to be delivered from the car are attached to a ring C the diameter of which is equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the tripping plate 14. Said plate 14 is swung away from the arm 1 so as to withdraw the prongs 15 from the openings 16. The ring C is then inserted between plate 14 and arm 1 and said plate is permitted to reassume its normal position. The prongs 15 will therefore enter the ring C and become reseated in the openings 16. The ring 0 will therefore be supported by the prongs and the straps or rings C of the pouches at will be disposed. under the concave edge of the plate 14. After the ring C has been secured to the arm 1 in this manner said arm is swung outwardly from the car door so as to assume a position substantially at right angles to the side of the car. It is then held yieldin-gly in place by placing the hook 3 in engagement with the eye 2. The pouch or pouches D to be delivered to the car are placed upon a ring E which is similar to the ring C. Said ring E is then placed in position upon the fork 30 and a portion of the ring will extend downward between and below the fork 30. This downwardly projecting portion has the pouches D suspended from it, and the weight of said pouches will be sullicient to hold the ring t in an upright position. When the car reaches the point where the interchange of mail is to be effected the plate 14 is brought forcibly against the knob 29 carried by the top bar 28 of the crane. Obviously this knob cannot contact with plate 14 until it passes into the ring U. Plate 1-4 will be pressed backward by the knob 2.) a sufficient distance to withdraw the prongs 15 from the openings 16. King C will therefore slide by gravity of! of the prongs and will drop on to the top bar 28 which will thus operate to support the ring and the pouches "1) carried thereby. Plate 14 will slide along the bar 28 until after the crane has been passed, whereupon the springs 18 will assist the gravity force in returning the tripping-plate 14 to its normal or vertical position. While the foregoing operation is taking place the finger 21 of arm 20 passes into the upstanding ring E and said ring is thus drawn oil of the fork SO and becomes seated upon arm 20 and against the plate 19. It will be seen therefore that the ring will be securely held not only by the inclined arm 20 but also by the upwardly curved end 22 of the finger 21. During the interchange of mail the arm 1 will of course yield baekwardly under the impact, this yielding movement being permitted by the elastic brace formed by rod 4 and the tubular member 5 together with the spring connection 8 therebetween. Immediately subsequent to this yielding movement the spring 8 will return the arm 1 to its normal position and by unhooking the rod 4 from the arm, said arm can be swung back into the car door. i hen the apparatus is not in use the rod 4 can be placed in engagement with an eye 31. at one side of the door and will thus act as a guard.

Attention is here called to the fact that suitable slots 43 are formed in the cars 12 for the reception of the free ends of the spring 1h when the train is traveling rapidly and the tripping plate is thrown violently upward from normal position by the crane. it will also be noted that a removable pin 44 forms a detachable connection between the arm, and the eyes 45 of the supporting brackets 46 thereby permitting the ready removal of the catcher arm when desired.

It will be seen that the apparatus herein described is very simple and durable in construction and can be readily applied to mail. cars without making any changes in the structure thereof. The mechanism is of such a character that it becomes impossible to release the pouches carried by the car unless the ring from which they are supported is so located as to be positively engaged by the crane. This is an important feature because it positively eliminates all danger of the pouches being dropped upon the ground and sucked under the car. Obviously the mechanism can be so constructed as to be readily changed to either side of the car door.

What is claimed is 1. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a su port; of a member movably connected t ereto, and su porting devices extending from and movab e with said member, said devices projecting into and being removable fromthe first mentioned support.

2. In a paratus for catching and delivering mail the combination with a sup orting arm; of a member movably connecte thereto and extending therebelow, and supportin devices extending from said member an normally projecting into openings within the arm.

3. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a sup orting arm; of a member movably connected to and extend ing below said arm, yielding means for holding said member normally in a predetermined relation to the arm, and supporting devices extending from said member and disposed, when said member is in normal position, within openings in the arm.

4. In apparatus of the character described the, combination with a supporting arm; of a tripping late hingedly connected to and extending eyond the arm, means for holding said plate normally in a predetermined relation to the arm, and means extending from the plate and normallyseated within openings within the arm.

I 5. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a supporting arm; of a tripping plate hingedly connected to the arm, means for holding the plate normally in a predetermined relation to the arm, and a sup orting 'rong extending from the plate an norma y projecting into the arm.

6. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a hingedly supported arm; of a tripping-plate hingedly connected to and exten ing beyond the arm, said plate having a concave peri heral portion, yielding means for holding t e plate normally in a predetermined relation to the arm, and a supporting prong extending from the plate, there being an aperture within the arm and constituting a seat for the prong.

7. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a hingedly supported arm and a s ring-controlled connecting device detacha 1y secured to the arm; of a tripping-plate hingedly connected to and extending beyond the arm, a sup orting device extending from said plate an normally engaging the arm, and a pouch-engaging rin upon said supporting device and interpose between the arm and plate, said ring extending below the plate.

8. In apparatus of the character described the combination with a support; of a tripping plate hingedly connected to the support, a pouch-engaging ring interposed between the support and the tripping-plate, and means carried by said plate for supporting the ring in position between the plate and support.

9. The combination with a crane and means thereon for supporting a ring in a vertical position; of a movably su ported arm, pouch-supporting means carrie thereby and disposed to be released by contact with the crane, and means extending from the arm for engaging a ring supported by the crane.

10. The combination with a crane including a top bar, a knob at one end of the bar, and means at the other end of the bar for su porting a pouch carrying ring in an uprig t position; of a movably supported arm, pouch-carrying means thereon and dis osed to be contacted and released by the ob,

and means upon the arm for engaging a ringsupported by the crane.

11. The combination with an arm, a tripping-plate hingedly connected thereto, a ring interposed between the plate and arm, and means carried by the plate for supporting the ring; of a'crane, and means u on the crane for rojecting into the ring to re ease the ring, sai released ring being disposed to drop said means.

12. In apparatus of the character described a crane com rising a tubular standard, a post adjusta ly mounted therein and extending thereabove, means for securing the -post in adjusted position, a top bar upon the post, a knob at one end of said bar, and a fork at the other end of the bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. HARRELL. Witnesses:

J. T. HUNT, J. A. HARRELL. 

